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Alumni & Donors

Alumni & Donors

Our Network

Sanford alumni make up a diverse, global network that is more than 7,000 strong – a network with leaders and change agents in every sector of the economy and every level of the government.

The Sanford alumni community is bound together by the shared vision of the school’s founder, Terry Sanford, who emphasized making a difference by risk-taking for the benefit of the common good.

“We will not flinch from change; we will lead it. We will not turn away from challenge; we will welcome it.”

As a Sanford alum, there are so many ways you can meaningfully contribute to the lives of students, research of faculty, and good work of other alumni to respond to the challenges and needs of our time. By staying connected, you also can continue to grow and advance in your professional and personal endeavors through transformative experiences both on Duke’s campus and in your community.

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Join Us!

If you maintain a Linkedin account, Sanford Career Services encourages you to join the Duke Public Policy Alumni Career Group.We post information about mid-career jobs we receive from employers and alumni (5 or more years of experience), and you can post jobs, too!

You might also consider joining the Sanford School of Public Policy closed Linkedin Group. This is the place where you can connect with fellow alumni as well as current students, faculty and staff.

Attend an on-campus or regional program or event. You will have an opportunity to connect with some of the greatest change-makers in the world, interact with other Sanford alumni to have a positive impact in today’s society through policy and politics, and network with professionals and faculty doing exemplary work and research in the areas you are passionate about.

Serve

Join one of our many volunteer opportunities. You can help recruit the next generation of leaders as an admissions volunteer, develop new alumni programming and curriculum as an advisory board member, address students as a guest speaker, or share your time and talents in other ways.

Support

Gifts of any size are important to the work and mission of the Sanford School of Public Policy, and to the lives of our students and faculty. Alumni often choose to make a commitment to the Sanford Annual Fund. It provides valuable, unrestricted money that allows the school to respond to the needs and opportunities of the moment.

More than 70 percent of Annual Fund donations go directly to financial aid for our undergraduate and graduate students.

Meet Sanford's Dean

Judith Kelley became the Dean of the Sanford School of Public Policy in July 2018. Kelley is an expert on international relations. She researches how international actors can promote democratic and human rights reforms.

Alumnus Profile

When Michael Sorrell MPP'90 was asked to take over as president of Paul Quinn College in Dallas, there were more than a dozen abandoned buildings on campus. But Sorrell was able to turn the school around. He cut the football team and turned the field into a farm that not only feeds the neighborhood, but provides student employment. In 2018, Sorrell was recognized by TIME Magazine as one of "31 people who are changing the South" for his visionary leadership. Sorrell is a member of Sanford's Board of Visitors.